A plane carrying the Arsenal Women's team caught fire on the runway after a bird reportedly flew into one of the engines following their Champions League clash with Wolfsburg Women on Sunday.
Jonas Eidevall's injury-riddled side came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with the German giants in the first leg of their European semi-final, as Rafaelle and Stina Blackstenius cancelled out strikes from Ewa Pajor and Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir.
The Gunners were due to fly back to London from the Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport on Sunday evening, but shocking images emerged of flames coming from the left side of the Boeing 737 aircraft prior to takeoff.
A report from the Daily Mail claims that a bird flew into the plane causing the fire, and the pilot was forced to abort the flight as passengers - including the Arsenal players - were evacuated.
🚨BREAKING!
— VAR Tático (@vartatico) April 24, 2023
🇬🇧The Arsenal women's team plane caught fire on the way to take off. The problem was attributed to a bird in the engine. Arsenal said no one was injured.
🇧🇷O avião da equipe feminina do Arsenal pegou fogo quando ia decolar. O problema foi atribuÃdo a um pássaro... pic.twitter.com/6TvskwTINr
Thankfully, nobody was hurt in the incident, and Eidevall's side simply stayed one more night in Germany before safely travelling back to the UK on Monday.
Arsenal confirmed in a statement that a "technical issue" prevented them from flying back on Sunday as anticipated, and they thanked the airport staff for ensuring their safety.
"Our aircraft developed a technical issue prior to take-off in Germany on Sunday evening. As a result, we remained in Wolfsburg overnight on Sunday before flying back to England on Monday afternoon. We would like to thank the staff onboard the aircraft and on the ground at the airport for their assistance," the statement read.
Arsenal, who have recently been rocked by season-ending injuries to Leah Williamson and Kim Little, will welcome Wolfsburg to the Emirates for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on May 1, as the two sides vie for the chance to meet Barcelona or Chelsea in the showpiece match.
Ben Knapton
